posted on July 20, 2001 01:23:45 PM
Hi!
We are getting so tired of waiting in lines at the post office......I am Pretty much clueless about doing postage from home....how many of you do it?
How did you get started?
You need to get a scale? How do you get one?Anyone who does this,please give us some advice on getting dtarted,thanx!
posted on July 20, 2001 01:30:22 PM
I got a scale for $14 from a small hardware store. Just use it to estimate how much I can ship an itme for. I take everything to the post office. But the scale is very accurate and I am always right on. What I would like to know, is where to get the newest list of rates. I am confused with what I found on the web site last night.
posted on July 20, 2001 01:38:12 PM
Most Post Offices have two publications: one listing domestic rates from parcel post to express mail and the other for International. The booklets are very handy. A better way is to sign up with Endicia.com. I just did and once you know the weight you can ship anywhere and the delivery confirmation is free on Priority mail. Please check earlier postings for endicia at this site for additional info
posted on July 20, 2001 01:53:17 PM
Stamps.com , endicia.com , simplepostage , pitney boles's clickstamps, I am sure you'll find one your comfortable with.
I use stamps and one rate unlimited postage printing, 15.99 plus postasge used. They all have differnet plans to tailor to your needs. One thing Stamps doent have much of a customer service dept anymore. Its all web based now and it take forever and a day to get a reply. But still much better than waiting in line at the PO
I have tried several home postage/shipping alternatives since I started selling on Ebay.
1st and most important thing: buy a GOOD accurate postal scale from Staples or Office Depot. (You can often find them for sale on Ebay as well.) I have found that the cheap ones do not always match up with the ones at the post office at lower weights. So, don't skimp here. Go ahead and get a good one that will be accurate for lower weight packages.
If you're really low volume and ship mostly items under 1 Lb., just get a good rate chart and hang it on the wall, get a good postal scale, print your labels in Word and keep a good supply of stamps on hand. This worked well for us for a few years until our volume of packages really got up there and we wanted a more professional look for our packages and better record keeping.
Had a P-B Meter at first. That was very expensive and a hassle to refill your postage. The labels are very expensive.
Stamps.com was good until they laid off most of thier customer service folks during the dot.com crash. They are also known for serious billing problems. The monthly fee (for Power Users) is a bit pricey compared to the other services and thier basic fee just went way up. This is a good service, but you are on your own. If you need help, you can forget it. The software is good and you can use a wide variety of label and envelope sizes. They do give you a really nice free scale and $25 free postage when you sign up for the power plan though.
ClickStamps Online is very cheap, good and they do support Media Mail, but you are VERY limited by thier POOR software which offers very few choices of labels and envelope sizes. If you are very low volume and don't ship internationally, this may be the best service for you.
I now use Endicia and I am very happy with this service. You can use Endicia for all types of postage, including Media mail and International mail, which no other service offers. You get FREE electronic Delivery confirmation with this service for Priority Mail and it's only $0.12 for Parcel Post/Media Mail. Once you get the software set up, this service will let you print on virtually any label or envelope that will fit in your printer and is highly customizable. The customer service is excellent and the President of the company is really nice and regularly lurks these boards to help out and answer questions. The monthly fee is a little over half of what stamps.com charges on it's Power Plan. If you ship a lot with delivery confirmation, this service will pay for itself very quickly.
posted on July 20, 2001 09:28:00 PM
Until 2 days ago, I was a customer of Stamps.com for over 2 years. I wouldn't recommend them for anything!
I switched to Endicia.com 2 days ago. Not only are they cheaper (Stamps.com is $15.99/mo. Endicia is $9.95/mo) but the customer service help from Endicia is EXCELLENT and Stamps.com's customer service is, well, NON-EXISTANT.
With Endicia you also get free Delivery Confirmation, which is a huge savings if you mail out a lot of packages.
Just do a search on the boards here for Stamps.com and you will hear the horror stories about them.
I don't know anything about Clickstamps.com or any of the others, but I would DEFINITELY NOT recommend Stamps.com and would HIGHLY recomment Endicia.
posted on July 21, 2001 06:04:07 AM
I just signed up for Endicia this month and am still on my 30 day free trial, but I love them (and my post office people love them!). They were very helpful with problems, even calling me on some of them. Some were solved with emails and some by the President of the company right here on this messageboard (would be great if they could add a customer messageboard to their site!). I mailed my first packages by Media Mail or Bound Printed Matter on Monday 7/16 and was able to go in today and check on all the ones that had the Delivery Confirmation. All have been delivered! Since the DC is free on Priority and only 12 cents on others I'm adding it to all packages with a value over $10.00 as a freebie for my buyers. I've got a couple of International shipments coming up, so will be interesting to see how those go.
posted on July 21, 2001 06:23:50 AM
I use Stamps.com for the last year I pay $4.95 a month you also pay a small percentage on all postage bought over $20.
Only problem I have with stamps.com is postage refunds take a long time.
bought the scale on Ebay for $18.
endicia is a great deal as well at $9.95 a month and offer lost more shipping options includeing media rate, International shipping and free DC on priority.
im still a bit fuzzy on label use for endicia to get postage addresses and DC on one label but there is a few different ways it can be done so its not a big down fall..
posted on July 21, 2001 07:10:31 AM
I ship about 50 packages a week and still go to the post office, or use stamps.
To begin with, any package over 1 pound has to be brought to the counter anyway for security reasons. So even with a meter I would have to go to the post office in any case since one out of ten packages in larger.
As to the lines, I have three post offices within a few miles. One is in the large city next to my town and very convenient to use. But it is simply a nightmare with long lines, surly clerks, and an atiitude that customers are an interruption. Somehow there are never more than two windows open. This to serve a community of over 100,000.
Then there is the little town in the other direction with a sub-station where there is rarely a line, two windows open, and this to service maybe 15,000 people. I can't fathom the reasons this is so, but this is the post office I use, and I always feel great going there and they are glad to help.
As to postage scales, I have two, both made by Pelouze, one for up to 2 pounds, the other for up to 100 pounds. My items can be a few ounces or total backbreakers.
Large items are sent ups anyway since it usually is cheaper than usps, and UPS takes larger packages (at a hefty premium) than the post office. They pick up for $5, the post office charges $10.
Meters - over the years I wasted too much money with indicias that never printed, on usoriously priced supplies, and just wrote off Pitney Bowes and their ilk as undeserving of my dollars.
I use stamps. OR go to the post offiçe. It is no biggie. And I will tell you one more thing, I do not have a car, so I take the bus with all my packages. I am also about to start collecting social security, so that tells you something about me. I make my livelihood off of ebay too.
posted on July 21, 2001 07:38:33 AM
I use pitney bowles and it was ok untill the P O started this 1 lb or more has to be handed in personally (blah ok, I send alot of small packages no problem ) But then they took out all the metered drop boxes? Any item I have metered has to be handed in at the desk. Although I don't have to wait long at the counter I still have to go in and see the clerks daily. (i'm cutting down daily...depending on volume instead) I've gone to the other smaller towns nearby and it's the same. Maybe big city would be different but the gas difference wouldn't make it worth it, ya know.
A New very large PO is being built semi-close and I'm waiting to see how they handle it as it's in the middle of a big business district.
If you go the route of metering you may want to check with the po first and see how they handle it?
posted on July 21, 2001 06:42:07 PM
Geez... this has been repeated in threads here so many times. If you have any form of postage meter then you are a "known" user to the postal service and the 1lb. limit does not apply to you. Your electronic postage or standard meter labels have your meter license number on them and this distinctly identifies you. Any weight of domestic package can be placed in any postal collection box with metered postage.
This applies to:
Pitney Bowes standard postage meters
Pitney Bowes ClickStamp
Stamps.com
SimplyPostage
Endicia.com
etc.
This does NOT apply to international mailings over 1lb. Those must have a customs form affixed and that form must have a postmark.
posted on July 21, 2001 07:01:08 PM
You can ship any package of any weight from any mail box you dont need to take them to the post office not even packages with International postage as long as you attach all the paper work.
If it will fit just drop the packages in the mail box no problem.
posted on July 21, 2001 09:16:44 PM
dman: Harry Whitehouse of Endicia already stated in another thread that International items with customs forms must have the round stamp to be allowed. They can not be dropped. He even inserted the appropriate USPS handling guidelines for that. The post office copy of the Customs Douarte would likely enter the mail stream with the item if it weren't presented at the counter and that copy has to be retained by the local post office.
His words are:
"It appears that you really need the retail clerk's involvement to be certain that your parcel will clear the FAA international screening. The USPS/FAA folks carefully look for
1. A round stamp on the customs form.
2. A round stamp on or near the postage"
You aren't likely to get that local round stamp by dropping it in a box. If I did that, the item would enter the mail stream to be sorted at the sorting centers either 45 or 100 miles away, depending on whether it is a weekend or weekday.
posted on July 22, 2001 10:46:12 AM
My point was Our Post Offices in Mid-Michigan do NOT have drop boxes we have *slots* With a big sign NO Metered MaiL.
If your one of the lucky ones who still has drop boxes then go for it, it will probably save you time.
posted on July 22, 2001 03:38:12 PM
That doesn't make any sense. Why would your post offices bar metered mail from being placed in recepticles? I would certainly be asking someone in a much higher postition in the Postal Service why you post offices are violating their own guidelines.
My suggestion would be that since metered mail is associated with business applications then immediately contact the Postal Business Service Center. You will usually find them associated with large sorting facilities. It's their job to answer and resolve business oriented questions. If you can not locate your regional PBSC then ask your local post office or use the postal service 800 number. Either will direct you to the correct location.
Since it's their job to assure that YOUR business mail is handled in an efficient manner, ask them why you are forbidden to place metered items in postal receiving slots, boxes or other devices. Since this goes completely against what postal regulations say you can do, ask them why they are contradicting their own statements. When you get an answer post back here.
posted on July 22, 2001 05:35:48 PM
My post office *asked* me not to put packages in the box outside simply because it could clog and/or fill up the box. (But they did verify that I legally *could*.)
Anyway, they asked me to just bring the packages in. I don't have to wait in any lines - just hand them the box of packages, they give me back an empty box. Doesn't take 30 seconds.
posted on July 23, 2001 11:14:15 AM
Just came back from mailing my second batch of packages since starting to use Endicia. Wow! I was only in the PO 5 minutes total and that was only because I had to get 4 of the little green insurance forms signed and dated plus I had an International package. My postmaster even told me he was going to give me a reward for making his job so easy!! (small PO with only 1 person plus the rural carriers). Endicia makes it so easy to do International shipping that I'd almost be ready to take the US only off my auctions!!
posted on July 23, 2001 11:56:40 AM
I have a digital scale, and I use postage stamps. Most packages are under a pound, but I have enough insured packages that I have to go anyway at least 2-3 times per week. I had Pitney Bowes, and Stamps.com, and it is cheaper to use postage stamps! Plus, you can even find stamps at 90% face value, even on Ebay...
posted on July 23, 2001 02:39:11 PMWith a big sign NO Metered Mail
I believe the USPS objective here is to try to keep metered letter mail separate from stamped letter mail, and I think that is because metered letter mail need not be cancelled (because it already has a date printed with it).
They have a special machine called a Facer-Canceller (again only for letter mail) which orients the mailpiece and then applys a cancellation mark over the stamp (among other things). This is done so the stamp can't easily be reused (the stamp itself has no date associated with it).
If they can keep the metered mail letter mail separate, then they can skip the facer-canceller step at the mail processing center.
posted on July 23, 2001 02:53:05 PMMy post office *asked* me not to put packages in the box outside simply because it could clog and/or fill up the box
Check with your carrier or PostMaster before doing this, but many PO's permit you to go to their back loading dock and just drop packages there. You may be surprised how many of your fellow towns-folk are already doing this. If it's late in the day (like 5:30 PM), you can often get your mail loaded right on to USPS trucks that are going to the regional mail processing center that evening.
Most PO's have a particular spot on the loading dock "reserved" for this activity -- that's why it's good to check with your PM about the procedure and protocol.
The interior and surroundings of USPS facilities are actively monitored by the USPS Inspection Service. A federal agency with the same powers as the FBI, they are very effective, and the penalties for interfering with the mail are very severe. So this procedure is safer than it might sound.
I signed up for the trial and had no trouble downloading the software. My problem comes with opening my account. I primarily use Netscape but am using a 9 month old Dell with IE 5.0 on it. I have to have 5.1 or later to use Endicia. I have tried and tried to download IE...first the 5.1 update, then the 5.5 update. No dice. I get to a point in the download when it checks for some signature and then it ends the download.
I have been on the phone with your excellent support staff and they recommended I contact Dell. So, I call Dell. The rep and I delete .tmp files and I try again. Nope. She told me that in order for Dell to help me further I will have to call the Software support section and pay $29.00. I just don't know what to do. I'd do it if I was positively sure it would work, but what if I pay $29.00 and still can't download IE? Will I have to pony up more $$$ to get Microsoft techs to help me? All of this, and I don't even like IE! I realize that it is MUCH safer...I know, I know. But, still....
I didn't mind at first....I want to use Endicia, but I'm just not sure where to turn. Should I pay Dell and hope for the best or try Microsoft? I already looked at the Microsoft web help and did a registry change they recommended and still no dice.
Anyone else ever had this trouble?
(When I get this one ironed out, I'll bend your ear with my local USPS troubles. Soon, I'll be on the horn with the regional USPS guys. Got to find out where I stand on a local PO issue.)
Let's try this. If you can Email me your address ([email protected]) or simply tell me your account number so I can get a mailing address that way, I'll burn you a CD with the IE5.5 installation and mail it to you.
Sometimes the on-line installs can be problemmatic. With the CD, we might have better luck on the installation.
BTW, it's not that the IE is safer -- Netscape has as good security as IE. However, IE has FIPS certified the cryptographic modules it uses, and that's what the USPS wants. And remember, you can continue to USE Netscape as your browswer. We just need some of the underlying files installed by IE.
I personally have had this problem, but only when trying to install IE on NT servers. As I recall, the solution was to install from a CD and not via the Web.
posted on July 24, 2001 10:40:11 AM
Try it again www.endicia.com I just checked it and it's up.
Another Endicia fan! Yes, Harry, please buy ebay...
I save soooo much time with Endicia, you can also have your mail carrier that delivers mail to you pick up your packages, yes, there may be exceptions such as international packages requiring customs forms, but for the vast majority of mail, they can pick it up for you.
What I'm going to start doing is to put a sign on my mail slot
posted on July 24, 2001 01:58:16 PMImportant Note on Delivery Confirmation
I just received an EMail from the USPS Program Manager for Delivery Confirmation which solved a minor mystery for my crew at Endicia.
Folks have reported to us that if they happen to go to their Post Office with an electronicly-generated Delivery Confirmation label, and the counter clerk attempts to scan the DC barcode, it won't scan!
Well it turns out that the retail counter scan guns are not programmed to recognize the electronic version of Delivery Confirmation.
The USPS figured that there was no reason to scan electronic DC at the counter, because all of the relevant data had been communicated to the USPS at the instant the label printed. (I'm going to revisit that with them, because I think a scan at the retail counter can be of value to the customer.)
So, if you want to check the readabilty of your DC barcode for any reason OR if you want to electronically "record" the fact that you have transferred a DC package to a USPS representative, have a MAIL CARRIER scan the package for you, NOT a retail counter clerk. The carrier's guns ARE programmed to recognize both the electronic and manual DC barcode.
no problem ) But then they took out all the metered drop boxes? Any item I have metered has to be handed in at the desk. Although I don't have to wait long at the counter I still have to go in and see the clerks daily. (i'm cutting down daily...depending on volume instead) I've gone to the other smaller towns nearby and it's the same. Maybe big city would be different but the gas difference wouldn't make it worth it, ya know.
